Week 6 2017

Results of Last Week's Games to Watch

1. #23 West Virginia Mountaineers @ #6 TCU Horned Frogs 

Just befote this game started at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. TCU had just learned that Oklahoma had suffered a very unexpected loss to Iowa State in a game that started at noon.  With that newly acquired knowledge, the Horned Frogs knew they could be the Big 12's lone remaining undefeated team with a victory over the Mountaineers.

However, that knowledge translated into added pressure that quarterback Kenny Hill and the TCU offense wasn't able to handle at first.  The only points the Horned Frogs scored was on a short drive set up by a fumble by a West Virginia kick returner.   Running back Sewo Olonilua did the honor of busting into the endzone to tally 7 points for the Horned Frogs.

On the other side of the ball, the Horned Frogs' defense continued to show significant improvements from last year by holding West Virginia to a whopping 3 points in the first half.  

The 2nd half proved to more like what you would expect from a Big 12 game.  After a West Virginia punt to open the 3rd quarter, quarterback Kenny Hill was ready to jump start the game.  On the first 5 plays of the drive, Hill ran 3 times for 36 yards and completed a 20 yard pass to wide receiver John Diarse.  But the Mountaineers' defense clamped down and forced a field goal.  TCU kicker Jonathan Song coverted the 37 yarder to give his team a 10-3 lead.

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier started to lead a drive in response but was intercepted on the 5th play by TCU linebacker Nick Orr.   Hill quickly converted the turnover to a TD with a deep pass down the right sideline to receiver Jalen Reagor who made a over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown. 

Now down by 14, West Virginia knew they had to score points quickly to keep the game from getting out of hand.  On 2 drives that took less than 2 minutes combined, Will Grier added two 2 touchdowns to his stats using a pair of deep passes, one to David Sills V and the other to Ka'Ruan White.  

It was now tied with less than a minute left in the 3rd quarter and the points would keep on coming.  The ensuing TCU drive reached midfield after an 8 yard completion to John Diarse and two rushes by tailback Darius Anderson.  On the 4th play of the drive, things would get tricky.  Hill handed the ball over to speedster KaVontae Turpin on an apparent end around.  But, no, it was a trick play!  Turpin threw the ball back to Hill who was wide open with a caravan of blockers in front of him.  Hill used his speed to race down the sideline, dodge a defender and score a rare receiving touchdown for a quarterback.

The scoring finally slowed to a stop when each team had to punt on their next possession.  A little less than a quarter remained when West Virginia began a long drive fueled by short completions from Grier to his receivers.  On the 10th play of the drive, Grier found David Sills V for a 4 yard TD that tied the game.  

With just under 10 minute left, the Horned Frogs began a long, methodical drive that drained a lot of time off the clock.  The engine of TCU's drive was also short passes, none more important than a 3rd down completion from Hill to John Diarse.  On the 12th play, nearly 7 minutes into the drive, Kenny Hill ran for a short TD run, bringing his total on the day to 3 (1 passing, 1 rushing, and 1 receiving).  

Will Grier and the West Virginia offense had an opportunity to tie the game if they could effectively run the two minute drill and score a touchdown.  However, the Horned Frogs' defense would have none of it, allowing West Virginia to gain only one first down before forcing an incomplete pass on 4th down. 

3 plays later and TCU was celebrating a pivotal victory that establishes them as the frontrunner to win the Big 12 Conference. 

Final Score: TCU 31, West Virginia 24

   

2. #21 Louisville Cardinals @ #23 NC State Wolfpack 

The last time Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals had played in front of a "Blackout" crowd, they had been at home but were defeated by the Clemson Tigers.  This time they were on the road, playing a recently improved NC State team.  Did things things turn out any differently last Thursday night?  

Almost from the beginning the Cardinals offense struggled.  Similar to Clemson, NC State has a talented defensive line which was able to contain or pressure Lamar Jackson on most plays, severely limiting the reigning Heisman trophy winner's production.  His counterpart on the other team, NC State quarterback Ryan Finley, had not thrown an interception in quite a while and was not about to throw one against Louisville.  Thanks to his smart and accurate passing, the Wolfpack looked like a great team throughout.    

Late in the first half, the Wolfpack got the ball with 3 minutes left.  One minute later, NC State had reached midfield thanks to a couple good runs by running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr.  Two plays later, Finley saw that the Cardinals' defense was in tight man-to-man coverage and he knew that at least one of his receivers could get open.  Wide receiver Stephen Louis, racing down the left sideline, soon got open.  Finley threw a perfect pass and Louis pulled it in with a great catch along the sideline at the 11 yard line.  The next play call was a handoff to running back Nyheim Hines who broke one tackle and strode into the endzone for a NC State touchdown.  The score was now 10 to 7.

From that point on, the Wolfpack had the lion’s share of the momentum of the game.  The closest Louisville got to tying the game came early in the 3rd quarter after a field goal on each side of the half cut the NC State lead to 4.  The Wolfpack responded with a 9 play drive that concluded with another touchdown run by Hines.   Even though Louisville scored two more touchdowns in the game, the Cardinals' defense was unable to stop Finley and the two powerful Wolfpack running backs when it mattered the most.  A late pass by Jackson was intercepted by NC State's Germaine Pratt and returned for a touchdown, icing the game for all intents and purposes.

With this important victory, NC State had now moved into a position to challenge Clemson when they play them in early November.   Clemson better be ready for them.

Final Score: NC State 39, Louisville 25

Most Exciting Game of the Week 

Kansas State Wildcats @ Texas Longhorns 

The hot commodity in coaching last offseason was former Houston Head Coach Tom Herman.  Texas ended up securing Herman's services but his first four games have included an embarrasing loss to Maryland and a doulbe overtime loss to USC.  To say that Herman was longing to a get a victory over a good team is a understatement.

But after the first half, Herman's Longhorns had a 21-17 lead over a well-coached Kansas State squad.  Starting quarterback Shane Buechele was injured in the previous week's victory over Iowa State so it was time for freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger to lead the offense.  His first pass had been intercepted, but he learned from mistakes and later tossed a 33 yard touchdown pass that was a key play in the 2nd quarter.

We'll pick up the action two minutes into the 3rd quarter.  Texas gets the ball and drives down the field due in large part to 2 straight medium length completions by Ehrlinger.  Later, the drive stalls and kicker Joshua Rowland converts a 33 yard field goal.  2 possessions later, Kansas State punter Nick Walsh pins the Longhorns at their own 1 yard line with an exceptional punt.  Texas is unable to move the ball out from the shadow of their own goal post after 3 plays and are forced to make a punt of their own.  A good return by Kansas State punt returner D.J Clark sets the Wildcats up with excellent field position at the Texas 34 yard line.

Kansas State starting quarterback Jesse Ertz uses his running and passing abilities to get a first down.  Following a unproductive play on 1st down, backup quarterback Alex Delton comes into the game and runs the ball 3 times in a row. Delton is rested and blasts into the endzone on the 3rd play.

The Wildcats' defense continued to make life difficult for the Longhorns' defense, enable their offense to take the lead with a field goal early in the 4th quarter. 

Finally, the Texas offensive line began to play better again, giving Ehlinger time to pass and running back Chris Warren III room to run.  However, the drive stalled inside the Wildcats' 10 yard line and Joshua Rowland comes onto the field again. Unfortunately, he shanks the short 27 yard kick badly and the Longhorns remain behind by 3.  

Fortunately for Rowland, he would get another chance.  The Texas defense forces Kansas State into a three-and-out.  The Longhorns soon began another that drive that seems like it might fail when Texas is forced into a 3rd and 10.  On this critical play, Ehrlinger completes a pass over the middle to wide receiver Jordan Humphrey.  Humphrey races around a defender and hurdles another to get the first down.  But before Humphrey's feet hit the ground, Kansas State defender Duke Shelley knocks the ball out of his hands.  Fortunately for Humphrey, Chris Warren III was following the play and jumped on the loose ball.  Texas regains possession, breathes a sigh of relief, and get back to business. 

Ehlinger converts another 3rd down later in the drive with a good pass, but the Wildcats' defense stiffens once again.  Rowland gets ready for another kick, this time a 34 yarder.  Rowland hits this one straight and true and the game is tied. Rowland would actually get yet another chance to kick a field goal after a Jesse Ertz pass is intercepted by Texas.  The Longhorns moves into field goal range in less than 30 seconds.  With only 6 seconds left, Rowland got ready to attempt a 45 yarder.  This kick misses just barely to the right and the game heads to overtime.

Texas gets the ball first in overtime and quickly tallies seven points on a 25 yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to receiver Jerrod Heard.  Kansas State sends the game to a 2nd overtime with a TD drive that takes only 3 plays longer.  

The order of possession flips and Kansas State gets the ball first in double overtime.  It appears that the Wildcats appeared destined for the endzone again when a holding penalty brings the play back.  Then, a second straight holding penalty on Kansas State moves the ball back even further.  Three unproductive plays later and the Wildcats are forced to attempt a long field goal that kicker Matthew McCrane understandably misses.  

Knowing scoring even a field goal would win the game, the Longhorns channel that energy in the right direction by getting inside the 5 after just 2 plays.  However, after two unproductive running plays it looked like the Longhorns might need a field goal to win.  A risky proposition for sure!  Thankfully, Rowland's services aren't required when the brute strength of Chris Warren III, plus that of four Texas players pushing him, get the ball across the goal line.

The Texas player now lying on top of Warren congratulate him energetically, the thrill of victory coursing through their veins.   At last, things are looking up for the Texas program.

Final Score: Texas 40, Kansas State 34 (2OT) 

Top 2 Games to Watch: Week 7

1.  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ #11 Miami Hurricanes 

Will Georgia Tech's crafty triple option offensive attack be enough to overpower a great Miami team coming off a last second victory over Florida State?  Or will Miami continue their resurgence toward being a top ACC team?

My pick: Miami

2. #25 Navy Midshipmen @ Memphis Tigers 

This American Conference game features an undefeated Navy squad against a group of Tigers whose only loss was to the rapidly improving UCF team?  Will the Midshipmen stay undefeated or will the Tigers claw their way to victory?

My pick: Memphis

Extra Point

The Gators offensive struggles continued when they played a home game against an LSU team coming off an embarrasing loss to Troy.  The Gators defensive played well but the only scored two touchdowns and a field goal.  The blunder of the game was a missed extra point by the usually reliable Eddy Pineiro, a mistake that ended up costing the Gators the game.

Final Score: LSU 17, Florida 16  

Two Point Conversion 

I would be remiss not to mention a certain game between the Buffalo Bulls and the Western Michigan Broncos.  The final score of the game you ask?   Western Michigan 71, Buffalo 68 in 7 overtimes!!!  You heard me right, 7 overtimes!  The game was so long that bathroom breaks for the players were necessary.  Also of note, the 139 total points were the most points scored in a college football game in the modern era.